Thais Herrera became the first Dominican woman to climb Mount Elbrus and place the Dominican flag there. At 5,642 meters, Mount Elbrus is the highest mountain in Europe and marks the border between Europe and Asia.
An industrial engineer, Herrera had already climbed the Aconcagua in Argentina, and mountains in Bolivia, Ecuador and the United States. She hopes to become the first Dominican woman to climb the Everest.
She explained that the ascent of Elbrus is not technically difficult, but it is physically demanding due to the altitude and the strong and frequent winds. The Dominican-Japanese, Kenji Kasahara, accompanied her. Describing the moment she reached the top of the mountain, Herrera said the day was “sunny, with cold wind and fresh snow from the storm, so we battled to achieve our goal.”
“I do mountaineering to empower people to follow their dreams, especially women, since many believe they can’t and that’s not the case,” she told Diario Libre. Herrrera has a master’s degree in senior management and finance. She is the owner and main facilitator of Asertiva, a company that specializes in outdoor training and team building for companies and educational institutions. Besides mountaineering, she is a triathlete and has completed an Ironman.
“My plans are to continue advancing, climbing more mountains and demonstrating that Dominican women can and are an example for the world,” she told Diario Libre in the interview.
Herrera began mountain climbing in 2015, organizing groups to carry out the Pico Duarte Express, which consists of running up and down, the highest mountain in the Dominican Republic.
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Diario Libre
7 September 2021